RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Chicken Breasts in Riesling - meat
This is a Jewish-Alsatian recipe for chicken which appeared in Evelyn Rose's September 18, 1998, column in the Jewish Chronicle, UK. There are a lot kosher Rieslings produced in Israel, so it should be no problem for anyone to find it (Carmel and many others). Ruth Archivists' Note: See the notes at the end which augment this recipe. COQ AU RIESLING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serves 6-8. Freeze 2 months. Cooking the chicken in the Riesling sauce gives it a wonderful fruity flavour. 6-8 chicken breasts on the bone 1 oz. (25 g) flour seasoned with 1 teaspoon salt and 15 grinds black pepper 2 Tablespoons oil 1 large (8 oz./225 g) onion, finely chopped 12 oz. (350 g) button mushrooms 10 fl oz. (275 ml) Riesling d'Alsace or other fruity dry white wine 10 fl oz. (275 ml) strong chicken stock 2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence Preheat the oven to gas no. 6 (400° F, 200° C). Coat the chicken portions thinly with the seasoned flour by shaking each one in a plastic bag, then patting off any excess flour. Fry in the hot oil over medium heat until a rich brown. Remove from the pan, drain on paper towels and then put into a casserole. Add the onion to the same fat and cook gently until softened and golden — about 5 minutes. Add the whole mushrooms (stalks trimmed off level with the caps) and cook with the onions for a further 3 or 4 minutes until they have become softened, then add the wine and bubble fiercely for 2 minutes to reduce its acidity and also to concentrate the flavour. Add the stock and herbs and pour over the chicken joints (which should be half covered by the sauce). Cover and cook in the oven for 15 minutes until bubbly, then reduce the temperature to gas no. 3 (325° F, 160° C) for a further 20 minutes or until a leg feels tender when pierced with a knife. Leave the lid off and cook for a further 15 minutes to reduce the sauce. If it is still too thin, dish the chicken and keep warm then boil down the sauce on top of the stove until syrupy, and pour over the joints. RoseMarie zzjlache@fox.uq.net.au adds: As an Alsatian myself, I have a few hints for this traditional dish. First, as the name suggest, it is usually done with a rooster. So, a battery chicken won't give the same taste, the best would be to use a free-range chicken. Herbes de Provence are *much* too strong. A bay leaf and a small pinch of thyme plus some freshly ground pepper are the traditional spices > > Preheat the oven to gas no. 6 (400 F, 200 C). The traditional finish is to beat one egg in a bowl, add a tsp of cornflour, beat again and slowly pour a laddle full of sauce, stirring all the time. Pour the content of the bowl in the rest of the sauce, stirring all the time and bring back to the boil. Pour over the chicken and serve with noodles or Spaetzle. Hope this is of some help, Rose-Marie
